Apple Oatmeal Bars
If you’ve never heard of apple butter, do yourself a favor and try it! It has all of the flavor of fresh apples without any of that applesauce consistency – I highly recommend! These Apple Oatmeal Bars are a great way to use apple butter and also make for a yummy, fall-appropriate grab-and-go breakfast or snack.
I threw some ground flax seeds into this recipe because why not add in some omega 3 fatty acids when the opportunity presents itself? Once I was throwing things in, I also threw in some pumpkin pie spice (pumpkin season made me do it). P.S. – Can you tell I was stress-baking while developing this recipe? Lol.
These Apple Oatmeal Bars can be stored in an airtight container for about 1 week – or even longer in the fridge or freezer. They remind me of Nature Valley granola bars, minus the crumbs (you guys know what I’m talking about). These bars hold their shape incredibly well, yet are still crispy and would be a great addition to any meal-prep. I hope you love them!
Apple Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
- 2½ cups old fashioned oats
- ¼ cup ground flax seeds
- ½ cup shredded almonds
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup + 3 tablespoons apple butter
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Spread out oats and almonds on a large, rectangular, unlined baking sheet with borders (not a tin), and toast for 7 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 F.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flax seeds, sea salt and pumpkin pie spice. Mix in the oat and almond mixture once it cools off.
- In a small saucepan, simmer the apple butter, coconut oil, maple syrup, almond butter, brown sugar and vanilla. Mix until a smooth, even consistency forms.
- Once an even mixture forms, immediately pour over the dry ingredients and mix well with a spatula.
- Press mixture into the same rectangular baking dish that you used to toast the almonds and oats in. The thinner you can spread the mixture, the crispier the bars will be! Arrange accordingly. Be sure that the surface of the bars is flat and even.
- Bake bars at 325 F for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pan after 10 minutes of baking. Let bars cool completely in pan before cutting into rectangles or squares. Bars can be stored in an airtight container for about 1 week, or in the fridge/freezer for longer.
Notes
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